Shropshire vets' warning after dog almost dies just picking up poisoned mouse in his mouth

Ziggy the Jack Russell was left in a coma overnight and came close to death, after he picked up a dead mouse which had been poisoned.

He was only saved by the emergency team at Vets Now in Telford.

Ziggy's owner, Keri Strauss, said the seven-year-old dog was poisoned even though he didn’t eat or even puncture a hole in the rodent.

Keri, who lives near Shrewsbury, said that the mouse had died after eating alphacloralose, an ingredient used in mouse poisons that are available over the counter.

She said: “I strongly believe that poisons this potent should not be sold to the general public and should only be available to professionals with a valid licence.

“Thanks to Vets Now we have been really fortunate, but other pets or, god forbid, small children might not be so lucky.”

Ordeal

Ziggy’s ordeal started on a Saturday afternoon last month when Keri and her son Charlie, five, were visiting Keri’s father a few villages down from their home.

She said: “We were out for a walk in neighbouring farmland and Ziggy found a dead mouse. He picked it up in his mouth and carried it to my dad.

“Two hours later, we noticed Ziggy was stumbling and rolling over, having a mini seizure. It was a little bit like he was drunk — almost like a sensory overload.”

Her father Johnny, a nature conservationist who has routinely dealt with venomous snakes, remembered the encounter with the mouse.

“As soon as Dad made sense of what had happened, we jumped into action. I called Ziggy’s vet but as it was on a weekend, they were closed and we were passed on to the Vets Now pet emergency clinic in Telford, who told us to bring Ziggy in immediately.

“The Vets Now team couldn’t have been more amazing, I was blown away with how determined they were to help our beloved dog.

“As Ziggy was presenting symptoms not usual to a standard mouse poisoning case, the vet needed to know what he had come into contact with.

“We tracked down the person who laid the poison and they gave us the details of the poison the mouse had nibbled.

“On arrival at the clinic, it was really upsetting as due to restrictions around coronavirus, I couldn’t go in with Ziggy, so we were reliant on updates over the phone."

Emergency vet surgeons Ela Barczak and Karen Booth treated Ziggy.

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Karen said: “We prepared Keri and her family for the worst as despite all our best efforts, initially Ziggy wasn’t responding. However, fortunately Keri then got hold of the poison information and we were able to research the ingredients.

“We learned that the active ingredient is aphachloralose which attacks the nervous system rather than the vital organs, which is normally what rodent poison does to pets.

“We hadn’t come across this poison before in our clinic so we couldn’t rely on our usual treatment methods.”

Karen continued: “After seeking expert advice, we stabilised Ziggy with anti-seizure meds. He was already too wobbly and affected by the poison to make him vomit unfortunately.

“We also gave him intravenous fluids and despite some improvements we then needed to place Ziggy on a continuous infusion of anti-seizure drugs for nearly 24 hours before he was stable enough to come off them.

"Miraculously, the following night, he started to come round a little. By the Monday morning he was able to sit up. We couldn’t believe it was the same dog.”

Even after returning home with him later that day, his owners had to keep his activity to a minimum as he was suffering breathing problems.

'Incredible relief'

Keri said: “Three weeks after his ordeal, he’s still nervous around people, which is unusual – but it’s a side effect of his treatment.

"However, over the last three days he’s been much better and getting back to his usual self, which is an incredible relief.”

Vet Karen recommended all pet owners should familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of rodent poisoning so they know what to do if their pet has come into contact with it. Learn more at vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/dog-ate-rat-poison

Keri said: “A child could pick up a mouse and then put their hands to their mouths and get secondary poisoning. Ziggy didn’t eat the mouse and there was no puncture at all on it.

“On reflecting about Ziggy’s initial symptoms, I realised that if I saw my young child walking a bit clumsily and looking sleepy, I would assume he was tired and needed a nap.

“I would not automatically think he had been poisoned. In going to sleep a child would slip into a coma, leaving the parent none the wiser to the reality that they were potentially dying.

“I really don’t want any other pet owner, or potentially a parent, to ever find themselves in this horrendous situation again.

“But thank goodness for Vets Now. I wish they could be my vets all the time — they were so lovely and they made Ziggy feel so comfortable.”